Yukina Minifics
by Reyka Sivao
Summary: A series of prompt fics featuring Yukina.
1. Ice Cream

Author's Note: So, I stared playing Yukina for The YYH Masterlist on Tumblr. (Yukinatheicemaiden, if you want to find me.) I've done some prompt writing over there, so I though I'd post them here as well! Most of them are pretty short, but...I guess you'll like them if you like Yukina?

Prompt: Ice Cream

* * *

Yukina stared rather dubiously at the dish in front of her.

"What is it?"

"It's called 'ice cream'," said Shizuru, glancing absently at her nails. "Try it, you'll like it."

"You will!" said Botan, clapping her hand together. "Best thing humans ever came up with!"

"Well, I don't know about that," said Keiko, "but it _is_ hard not to like."

Their fighters were off getting ready for the next round of the Dark Tournament, and the girls had been expending far too much energy worrying about their safety. Eventually, Shizuru had put her foot down, and declared that they were going to do something completely non-tournament-related for at _least_ an hour.

"Then you can go back to worrying your heads off," she'd said. "As if that would actually make a difference. I promise nothing bad will happen in the next hour, at least."

And so they were on the bottom floor of the surprisingly well-appointed hotel, checking out the amenities, when Yukina had innocently asked what an "ice cream" was.

Honestly, the "cream" part was the confusing bit. That was something like milk, right? She was pretty sure humans didn't typically put ice in their milk. And in either case, whatever _this_ was didn't have the consistency of milk _or_ ice.

Still, they did say it was good…

Hesitantly, Yukina dipped lifted her spoon and tasted the strange substance.

Her eyes went wide.

"Oh my!"

Botan and Keiko laughed, and Shizuru smiled at her.

She'd go back to worrying eventually, but just for this moment, everything was bliss.


	2. Coffee

Author's Note: This one became funnier when I realized that our Shizuru and Botan roleplayers are the same person.

Prompt: Coffee

* * *

The girls shared many things during the Dark Tournament.

They shared worry over their respective friends and loved ones, they shared their space at the hotel, they even shared a few secrets in the dark of night…

But they also shared more mundane things.

Such as beverage choices.

Keiko's favorite was apple juice. "What can I say," she'd laughed when it had come up. "Why mess with the classics?"

"Why pick just _one_?" asked Botan. "There are so many to choose from!"

"How about yours, dear?" asked Shizuru.

"Oh, I don't think you'd have it."

"What is it?"

"It's a juice…but I don't think you have the fruit here in Human World."

"Ah, probably not then." Shizuru took a puff on her cigarette.

"Well then," said Yukina, "what's yours?"

She was trying to remember to participate in conversations. A combination of her natural shyness, several levels of culture shock she was still sorting through, and standards of politeness that were very different from the Ice Maidens' made it rather difficult to get it right, but she was trying.

"Mine?" said Shizuru. "That would have to be coffee."

Yukina wasn't quite sure why that _had_ to be, but she was rather more curious as to what it was.

But before she could ask, Botan chimed in.

"Ooh! I don't think I've had that one yet!"

"You _haven't_?" said Keiko incredulously.

"What? I only got assigned to the human world a few months ago. I haven't exactly had a chance to try _everything_ yet."

"Well," said Shizuru, "as fully half of us have never tried this wonderful substance—I'm assuming, Yukina?—we should probably fix this situation."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" said Keiko. "It's already six o'clock!"

"Oh, don't be silly," said Botan. "What's the harm in trying a new drink? I mean, it's not even alcoholic!"

Keiko opened her mouth to protest, but Shizuru put down the phone no one had noticed she'd picked up.

"It'll be up in a few."

Keiko just shut her mouth again and rolled her eyes.

"Fine then, but if you want to take your life into your own hands, don't say I didn't warn you…"

Botan wrinkled her nose. "_This?"_

"Yep," said Shizuru, sipping the black liquid.

Yukina sniffed at the liquid in front of her, not quite daring to touch the hot cup. It smelled strong and warm and slightly bitter—not unlike Shizuru herself.

"Some people like it with cream and sugar," Shizuru finally conceded, after a nice long sip.

"That sounds much more palatable," said Botan with satisfaction.

Several tablespoons of sugar and half a pint of cream later, Botan had finished the whole cup.

"Oh, you know, I really didn't think I was going to like it at first, and I still wasn't sure, you know, but I'm thinking it might actually be kind of good!" She bounced on the balls of her feet. "Come on, Yukina, you've got to try it!"

"I can't," said Yukina. "It's still too hot."

"Add some cream! And sugar too! It's much better that way. And say, why don't you just cool it down a little? You're an Ice Maiden, right? Ice it! Iced coffee!" She giggled rather more than the joke deserved, which, strictly speaking was none at all.

Also, was it Yukina's imagination, or was she speaking even more quickly than usual?

Still, not a bad idea. She'd never thought of using her abilities for something like this, but why not?

Yukina raised her hands and let a spiral of her icy youki lower the temperature of the cup a few degrees.

"There you go! Now try it!"

Yukina took a careful sip.

"Um. It's…"

She tried to think of a tactful way of putting it.

"It's an acquired taste," said Shizuru. "Try it Botan's way. Might be more to your liking."

* * *

Somehow, the card games they'd been playing seemed rather more entertaining after the pot of coffee was gone. Even Yukina found herself giggling at things that, in hindsight, made no sense as jokes.

The games and laughter went on far later than any of them had intended, and all four of them ended up falling asleep on various pieces of furniture in the living room.

That, of course, was why they missed the first half of the semifinals the next day.


	3. Boys

Author's Note: Eh, some of these didn't come out great. C'est la vie.

Prompt: Boys

* * *

Young Yukina knew the difference between boys and girls.

Boys grew up to be men—vicious, brutal creatures who lived only to eat, fight and mate.

Girls, on the other hand, grew up to be people.

The elders had taught her well about the dangers of the Outside, about how the Ice Maidens had been treated in the dark days before they had taken their lives into their own hands and left it all behind.

She knew all this. It was as real to her as the air she breathed.

And yet…

Even before she knew what she was, the idea of these strange Outside creatures intrigued her. They would be young, like her, but…_male._ Boys.

What would they be like? Would they be as bad as the Elders said? Even when they were young?

Young Yukina wondered far more than she should have about the strange idea of _boys_, but it wasn't until far, far later that she began to consider the possibilities that Outside girls considered.


	4. Precious Memory

Author's Note: I rather liked this one.

Prompt: Tell us about a memory you treasure.

* * *

Yukina doesn't remember much of her mother.

Unlike her brother, she her memories don't stretch back to the day of her birth, so her memory of her early childhood is little better than a human's would be.

But she does have one memory. At least, she thinks she does. It might simply be a dream or a fantasy…but it's all she has.

She remembers warmth, and comfort.

Mother.

Mother was her world—food, shelter, companionship, everything she could ever want or need.

There were words, too, words that remained forever just past the edge of memory.

Her name? Yukina thought so. Something else? Had her mother called her something else, some special name reserved only for her? She couldn't remember.

There were tears.

She did remember that. Her mother had shed those beautiful tears, the ones she learned later should never have existed.

Her mother held her close, and kissed her face, and whispered more of those words she couldn't understand.

But when adult Yukina closed her eyes and tried to hear them, she thought she knew what they were.

_I'm sorry._


End file.
